After the death of her husband in 1977, Mrs. Barry indulged her zest for learning, attending Bryant & Stratton Business Institute and taking English and history classes at Erie Community College well into her 70s. [3]

At age 87, sick with cancer and under hospice care, Blanche Celestine Barry, who had a lifelong passion for animals, became the oldest person to swim with dolphins at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla.

Mrs. Barry's splash with fame occurred in February at Discovery Cove, where she donned a wet suit and cavorted with Capricorn, SeaWorld's oldest dolphin at 40 -- double the life expectancy for dolphins.

This was one of many achievements for the former Blanche Schmidt, who lived a life rich with family, career and an insatiable quest to learn. [3]